Not your momma's brussels sprouts

You should know upfront that if you have horrible memories of being forced to eat microwaved-from-frozen brussels sprouts, you are not alone. Many people grow up fearing the mini green cabage, the smell, the texture, the social stigma -- this poor, undervalued vegtable.

I don't have those memories, because I was never exposed to these growing up. My mom must hate them, and that's how it went -- if my mom didn't like something, it was never in the house.

But I don't blame my mom, it's a certainty that I wouldn't have eaten them anyway.

I saw this recipie on a Barefoot Contessa episode and knew that I needed to make them asap, but when picking up the cute little sprouts in Trader Joe's one Sunday afternoon, my roommate was instantly grossed out and told me about her hatred toward the veg after being forced to sit at her kitchen table for hours when she refused to eat them growing up.

For all of you out there who share her sentiment, you've got to know that these are amazing (even she agreed!). Trust that 1. your taste buds have changed 2. the crunchy texture is not what you remember from the microwave 3. everything is better with maple syrup.

I think America's most hated veggie just became a new 'fridge staple for this girl.

So here you have it, Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts:

1 bag of fresh sprouts, halved
Olive Oil
Maple Syrup
Salt and Pepper
Easy Peasy

get these cutie pies halved and give 'em a run through the sink if they don't come pre-wash

Put them in a bowl or pot and coat with with enough olive oil to fully cover them, but not drench them, you're going to add some yummy maple syrup next

Use about the same amount of syrup as you did olive oil, mix it well and add salt and pepper. You may want to give it 15 or so minutes to soak its heavenly goodness into every little leaf of the sprout

Get them on a baking sheet with foil - or the syrup will ruin your pan - and put them in a 400 degree oven for 20 to 30ish minutes, or until they're crispy, smell delicious and look like this:

voila

Give them a try, I promise you won't pull the fake 'mouth wipe but really spit into a napkin,' feed to the dog, strategically spread out on the plate, or remind you of the hours you spent sitting at your kitchen table.